MONDAY October 29
Like a diamond in the sky
I am still meditating on the meaning of the "new comet". It has appeared against the constellation of Perseus, which makes it much easier to see from the Northern Hemisphere... but it clearly has a message for us all. Normally, when a faint object brightens so suddenly and dramatically, it turns out to be the light of a star that exploded long ago. This though, is a regular visitor to our solar system, turning a million times brighter overnight. It has to be saying something about other rapid and dazzling changes that will occur soon across the globe.

TUESDAY October 30
A time for feminine wisdom?
Comet Holmes continues to present a celestial spectacle in the constellation of Perseus. My colleague, Yasmin Boland, rang from Sydney with a fascinating suggestion. In legend, she points out, Perseus killed Medusa and proudly held aloft her head. Medusa, though, was once synonymous with 'sovereign feminine wisdom.' Some scholars believe the patriarchal Greeks deliberately demonised her by depicting an ugly ‘Gorgon’. The new bright explosion in the realm of Perseus may therefore portend the redress of an ancient imbalance. If so, expect a time soon, when strong, wise women begin to reclaim the spiritual and political leadership of society!

WEDNESDAY October 31
Happy Hallowe'en!
In my childhood, Hallowe'en was an occasion celebrated only by Satanists... and Americans! These days, everyone is enthusiastic about this non-stop cavalcade of ghouls, ghosts, spooks and spectres. I have, therefore, begun each of today's zodiac forecasts with a quote from Edgar Allan Poe. The master of the short horror story was born in 1809 yet many of his tales are still capable of scaring modern readers! From a psychological point of view, whatever makes us afraid has the potential, if we can try to truly understand it, to make us wise.

THURSDAY November 1
More on Comet Holmes
Nobody alive today has ever seen anything like the sudden flare up of Comet Holmes. Experts are mystified and mesmerised. It must have been a vision just like this that inspired three of my predecessors to head out for Bethlehem. Various people have wondered if the comet augurs well for Benazir Bhutto, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Hillary Clinton. Some even think it means that John Howard is about to lose the Australian election. Probably, it’s yes to all of the above. But is it also, I wonder, time to start checking the maternity hospitals for angels and shepherds?

FRIDAY November 2
Hallowe'en, an ancient celebration
On Hallowe'en, I lightheartedly observed that in England during my youth this festival was celebrated only by Americans... and Satanists. I have since been taken to task. Irish and Scottish readers insist that they have always given Hallowe'en full attention. Druids and Pagans have been rightly reminding me that like almost all Christian festivals, All Hallow’s Eve is nothing but a much older tradition in disguise. It’s actually the ‘cross quarter’ ancestral celebration of Samhain. I have so far, though, heard nothing from Welsh readers. And come to think of it, the Satanists have been a bit quiet, too!

SATURDAY November 3
Mercury and Neptune direction comment
Right at the start of November, Neptune and Mercury change direction. Or at least, they appear to. It's what astronomers call an optical illusion. Although, in the case of planets you can hardly see, there's nothing very optical about it. It's more of a theoretical abstraction. A numerical anomaly. But to an astrologer, it's a really big deal. It suggests that the dreams we have all been unable to fulfil may suddenly become much easier to turn into a reality. And the things we have all been unable to say, suddenly become much easier to express.

SUNDAY November 4
Mercury and Neptune direction comment
Right at the start of November, Neptune and Mercury change direction. Or at least, they appear to. It's what astronomers call an optical illusion. Although, in the case of planets you can hardly see, there's nothing very optical about it. It's more of a theoretical abstraction. A numerical anomaly. But to an astrologer, it's a really big deal. It suggests that the dreams we have all been unable to fulfil may suddenly become much easier to turn into a reality. And the things we have all been unable to say, suddenly become much easier to express.